General Motors Files For "Chevrolet Code" And "ZH2" Trademarks

Could the 2012 Chevrolet Code 130R Concept finally get a production version?

General Motors, the parent company of Chevrolet, has filed two trademark applications for the names “Chevrolet Code” and “ZH2” in what could be a precursor for a couple of new models that will be sporting the Bowtie in the future. One of those name has a recent historical tie to Chevrolet whereas the other is, well, anyone’s guess.

Let’s start with the Chevrolet Code trademark, which GM filed on June 2, 2016 in the category of “Motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles, sport utility vehicles, trucks, engines therefor and structural parts thereof.” We have to go back four years to connect the dots here when the American automaker presented the Chevrolet Code 130R Concept at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Back then, the Code 130R Concept was thought to be a preview for a compact, four-seater coupe and was presented with a red metallic paint finish, a new set of 20-inch matte anodized gold wheels, and a tech-heavy interior that featured Wifi, smart phone integration via Chevrolet’s MyLink system, and a heads-up display. Most importantly, it also came with a 1.4-liter EcoTec turbocharged engine that produces 150 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque, all while mated to a standard six-speed automatic transmission.

Since its debut, the Code 130R Concept has been tucked away, out of sight and out of mind. Neither GM nor Chevy commented on the decision to trademark the Chevrolet Code name, but don’t be surprised if the concept is revisited with an eye towards finally building a production model.

Then there’s the ZH2 trademark. This is the real mystery of the two applications because the name itself has never been attached to a particular brand or model. That said, the nomenclature is familiar given that Chevrolet has used other versions of it in the past, specifically the ZR1 on the Chevrolet Corvette and the ZL1 on the Chevrolet Camaro. It’s likely that the ZH2 will be used similarly, but the question is, which model is going to use it? That, and could the “H” in ZH2 stand for “hybrid?”

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Read More:

Why it matters

There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding these two trademark applications, largely because nobody really saw it coming. Personally, I had forgotten about the Chevrolet Code 130R Concept because even when it made its debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, it wasn’t one of those concepts that really stood out. So when I saw General Motors file a trademark application for the Chevrolet Code, I didn’t immediately associate it with the concept from four years ago.

It is surprising to see the company take this step, but it also opens up a world of possibilities on what to expect moving forward. Is Chevrolet building a production version of the concept? Or is this just an application for a trademark on a name it has no plans of using, but is doing so just in case a competitor tries to do the same thing? It’s unclear what the motives are, but I can’t wait to find out.

As surprising as that was, the trademark application for the “ZH2” name is a head-scratcher in a curious way. We all know that Chevrolet likes to use that kind of name format on some of its performance models, namely the Corvette and the Camaro. Is it possible that it applied for a trademark of the ZH2 name with plans to use it for the same purpose? I think it is, and the use of the H does raise some eyebrows on whether the name would be used on a hybrid model. The mere fact that neither General Motors nor Chevrolet have ever used the name ZH2 adds another layer of mystery into this trademark application.